Spring-horseshoe.



1). s. WILT &'0. E. BELFORD.

SPRING HORSESHOB.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7,1911.

1,035,508. Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

g 135/01,. Q M 5g 6/61 (0% may ilk Lotus COLUMBIA PLANOCIIAPM c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DARAH S. WILT AND CLAYTON E. BELFORI), 0F RICHMOND, INDIANA.

SPRING-HORSESI-IOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 7, 1911.

Patented A11 13,1912.

Serial No. 658,955.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DARAH S. WVILT and CLAYTON E. BELFORD, both citizens of the United States, residing in the city of Richmond, county of Wayne, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-I-Iorseshoes, of which the following is a full and exhaustive description and specification, being such as will enable other mechanics to make the same with certainty and precision.

Our present invention relates broadly to horseshoes, and particularly to what is termed spring-tread or spring-heel shoes, the object being to lessen the jar to the animals feet as they come into contact with a hard roadway or pavement thereby eliminating the danger of damage to the animal and prolonging the usefulness of the shoes containing our invention.

Other objects and specific advantages of our invention will be made apparent in the course of the following description, and that which is new and useful will be set forth in the appended. claim which terminates this specification.

The preferred manner for carrying out our invention in a practical manner, and that which we have found to be practical and useful under actual use, is shown in the ae companying one-sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a horseshoe constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an outer side or edge elevation of our shoe. Fig. 3 is an inner side or edge elevation of our shoe certain parts thereof being broken away. Fig. 4t is a rear elevation of one end of our shoe. And Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken through one side of our shoe, on line of Fig. 3.

Similar indices denote like parts throughout the several views of the one-sh eet of drawings.

l/Ve will now take up a detailed description of our invention in which we will set forth the construction and the operation thereof as briefly and as fully as we may.

In the drawings the horseshoe as a whole is indicated by numeral 1, having the toecalk 2 formed integral therewith. Each of the side or heel portions of the shoe is provided with a construction which invo-lves our invention, and as each of said side constructions is identical with the other we will, for convenience of description, refer to the parts on one side by certain numerals, and to corresponding parts located on the other side by like numerals with exponents.

The essential features of our invention are the two flat spring members, one for each side, the forward or fixed portions, 3 and 3, of which are each let into a recess formed in the underside or face portions of each side of the shoe. Said recesses are each formed by a square shoulder, a n, at their forward ends, and then taper back to the rear ends of the shoe substantially as indicated in Fig. 3. Said recesses are not cut through the chimes cc of the shoe, that is the part outside the nail-channels Z b, thereby leaving the edge of the shoe to appear full, as shown in Fig. 2. The central portions, 4:4l', of said springs extend rearward and downward away from the shoe merging into their respective heelcalks 5-5. The inner or upper edges of the heel-calks, or the central portions of the springs, are formed rounded, as indicated in Fig. 5, in order that should mud or the like collect between them and the shoe proper that it will be more easily forced out when the said calks are forced against, or toward, the shoe. If desired the calks 55 may be made separate from the springs and then be removably attached thereto by rivets or the like as indicated in Fig. 2. Extending upward from the rear ends of the heel-calks are the respective plates 6 and 6, through each of which is formed a vertical slot, 0 and (3 respectively. The fixed portions of said springs are rigidly secured in their respective recesses by a pair of rivets 78 and 7-8 respectively.

Extending back from the rear ends of the shoe are the lugs 9 9, formed square in cross section, which are adapted to fit in the respective slots e-e, after which means are provided to prevent the lugs from be coming inadvertently removed from said slots, which may be accomplished by simply splitting the ends of the lugs and turning the sides apart as shown in Fig. 1 and 4. hen the parts are in normal position, that is when there is no pressure on the shoe, then the lugs 99 will be in the upper ends of their respective slots 6 and c as indicated in Fig. 4.

In practice the shoe may be applied to an animal in the usual manner, after which it is manifest that the heels will be spring supported, the calks 5'5 being allowed to move up and down, or more properly speaking allowing the heel portions of the shoe to move up and downwhile the calks 55 remain relatively stationary with relation to the surface on which they rest, thereby accomplishing the desideratum of our invent-ion.

Various changes may be made in the several details of construct-ion herein shown without departing from the spirit of our invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having now fully shown and described our invention and its proposed usefulness and application, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

A spring horseshoe having a recess formed in the face of each side thereof and parallel therewith, said recess being formed deepest at its forward end where it terminates in a shoulder and from which it tapers downward to rear end of the shoe, a lug extending back from the heel port-ions of each side of the shoe, a spring member for each side of the shoe and each comprising a forward fiXed portion located in its recess in the shoe with its forward end in engagement with one of said shoulders, the central portion of said springs extending rearward and downward away from the shoe, the heel-calks carried by the central port-ions of said springs, the upper edge of said central portions of the springs being formed rounded, the rear plates extending upward from the rear ends of said springs, each of said plates having a vertical slot formed therethrough in which operate the respective lugs above mentioned, and a pair of rivets for securing each of the springs to the shoe proper, said rivets being disposed through the forward portion of the springs, said forward port-ion of the springs being formed tapering to fit their respective recesses so that their lower faces are flush with the underside of the shoe and so that the portion of each which is subjected to bending may more readily yield, all sub stantially as shown and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DARAH S. WILT. CLAYTON E. BELFORD.

VVtnesses:

R. E. HANDLE, RoB'r. W. HANDLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. i 

